Scottish Executive

Air Services

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed (a) directly and (b) indirectly in (i) Glasgow Airport and (ii) Edinburgh Airport.

Nicol Stephen: Glasgow Airport employs around 5,000 people directly and approximately 15,000 people indirectly.

  Edinburgh Airport employs around 2,200 people directly and approximately 7,000 people indirectly.

Air Services

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out any research into the most effective use of the Route Development Fund.

Nicol Stephen: Works commissioned or undertaken by the Scottish Executive or Scottish Enterprise on route development have been to provide a framework to assess the benefits of improved air route connectivity for Scotland, in terms of enhancing business links and in-bound tourism.

Arts

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, and will make, to distributors regarding the acquisition and sale of the works of Scottish writers and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Executive is content with the current arrangements. The Scottish Publishers Association (SPA) operate, as a subsidiary, Book Source, a large-scale national and UK-wide distributor of Scottish and UK publishers. Specific data is available from the SPA.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to make representations to Her Majesty's Government towards ending a system of detention of children at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre, as referred to in the resolution of the Parliament on 11 September 2003.

Ms Margaret Curran: The amendment agreed on 11 September called on the Executive "to convey the Parliament’s concerns to her Majesty’s Government". Details of the amended motion have been passed to Home Office Ministers and officials.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure the delivery of services for which it has responsibility to those detained at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Home Office is responsible for the delivery of services at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, and is taking, to ensure the delivery of appropriate and quality-assured legal and advisory services to asylum seekers at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre, as referred to in Scottish Refugee Integration Forum: draft supporting document .

Ms Margaret Curran: The provision of legal and advisory services was not identified by the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum as a key action, and is therefore not one of the over 50 actions contained in the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum: action plan , which are currently being implemented.

  Detainees in Dungavel are free to contact either private solicitors, Legal Aid solicitors or the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS). The IAS also provides a weekly surgery at Dungavel. The Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner provides quality control for legal practitioners providing immigration advice.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to implement the recommendations of the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum.

Ms Margaret Curran: A report on progress being made in implementing the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum: action plan was published on 28 August. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Asylum Seekers

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conveyed to Her Majesty's Government the concerns of the Parliament about the detention of children at Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre, as referred to in the resolution of the Parliament on 11 September 2003.

Ms Margaret Curran: Yes.

Community Wardens

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-24700 and S1W-26383 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 May and 11 June 2002 respectively, whether an evaluation of the Renfrewshire and Paisley neighbourhood warden pilot projects has been made and, if so, where it can be accessed.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Renfrewshire and Paisley neighbourhood warden pilot project will be evaluated towards the end of 2004-05 as part of the wider evaluation of Renfrewshire’s Better Neighbourhoods Services Fund (BNSF) programme. Renfrewshire’s BNSF Annual Report, due later this year, will provide an update on progress to date. This will be available through the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Defence

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2050 by Allan Wilson on 11 September 2003, when it will receive the results of the further full survey, commenced on 3 September 2003, of the containment measures put in place by Her Majesty's Government to deal with the live cluster bombs dropped in Luce Bay, Wigtownshire, in 1999 and whether it will publish the results of such a survey.

Allan Wilson: The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that it expects to receive a copy of the survey report from QinetiQ by 24 October. I can confirm that a copy of the report will be sent direct to the member. A copy will also be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Drug Misuse

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set any targets for the seizure of Class A drugs by weight over the next three years and, if so, what these targets are.

Cathy Jamieson: New targets for the Scottish police for 2004-06 were announced in March 2003. These were jointly agreed following consultation between the Scottish Executive, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Convenors of police authorities. The target for drug seizures over this period is for a 10% increase in the weight of Category A drugs above the average level of seizures between 2000-01 and 2002-03.

Economy

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much business is generated for the Scottish economy by (a) Glasgow and (b) Edinburgh.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not estimate the business generated for the Scottish economy by particular geographic areas. However, as an indication, based on the most up–to-date information currently available, the local authority areas for these cities account for approximately the following shares of total Scottish GDP (1998) and employee jobs (2001):

  (a) Glasgow 16% of GDP and 17% of employee jobs

  (b) Edinburgh 13% of GDP and 13% of employee jobs.

Enterprise

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much (a) business start-up rates, (b) business research and development expenditure, (c) manufacturing capital expenditure, (d) business investment per employee and (e) employment rates will have to grow to achieve the same rate as the UK average by 2006.

Mr Jim Wallace: (a) Business start-up rates are expressed as the number of new VAT registrations per 10,000 of the adult population. VAT registrations are published annually by the Department for Trade and Industry; the latest figures are for 2001. To reach the current UK rate by 2006, the Scottish rate would have to grow by 5.7% per annum between 2001 and 2006.

  (b) Business research and development (R&D) expenditure is published annually by the Office for National Statistics, the latest figures relate to R&D undertaken during 2001. Converting this again to a rate per adult shows that an increase of 17% per annum between 2001 and 2006 would be required for Scotland to reach the current UK level by 2006.

  (c) Net capital expenditure in the manufacturing sector is published for 2001 by the Office for National Statistics. As the rate of capital expenditure in manufacturing per adult is already higher in Scotland no increase is required for Scotland to reach the current UK rate by 2006.

  (d) The latest data on Scottish business investment (Gross Fixed Capital Formation) is for 1995. The Office for National Statistics intend to publish more up-to-date figures later this year.

  (e) The employment rate from the latest ONS Labour Force Survey relates to the three months to July 2003. To reach the current UK rate by 2006 an increase by 0.03% would be required annually during the three years 2003 to 2006.

Enterprise

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to recommendation 11 of the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group report Nurturing Wealth Creation .

Mr Jim Wallace: I have today written to Dr Chris Masters, the chair of the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group, in response to Recommendation 11 of their report. I am placing copies in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 29574) and a copy can also be found on the Scottish Executive's website.

European Union

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will be required to take in order to comply with those aspects of the Council of the European Union Directive 2003/9/EC which relate to devolved matters.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is considering what steps it may be required to take to comply with any aspects of the Council of the European Union Directive 2003/9/EC which relate to devolved matters.

Fire Service

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will allocate to fire service training for each of the next three years.

Hugh Henry: Under Spending Review 2002, the amount allocated for fire service training is £5.6 million per year for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. This pays for the running of the Scottish Fire Services College and also for fire service personnel to attend courses held by outside bodies, including the Fire Service College in England.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will copy the NHS trial to be introduced in England of having hospital pharmacists monitor and control the use of antibiotics as part of a scheme to reduce the development of antibiotic resistant infections such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no such plans at present. The actions being taken by the Executive and health professionals in NHSScotland to monitor and control the use of antibiotics are set out in The Right Medicine: A Strategy for Pharmaceutical Care in Scotland and - as part of an integrated UK-wide approach - in The Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and Scottish Action Plan . These were published in April and June 2002 respectively. Copies are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Health

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30891 by Dr Richard Simpson on 20 November 2002, what the most recent excess winter mortality figures are, broken down by (a) NHS board, (b) age and (c) gender and how many of these deaths were the result of hypothermia.

Hugh Henry: There is no universally accepted definition of "excess winter mortality". A number of options were discussed in an occasional paper entitled The Raised Incidence of Winter Deaths published last year by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) and available at (http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/grosweb/grosweb.nsf/pages/occ7). The following table gives the difference between the aggregate number of deaths occurring in the four winter months (December to March) and the average of the number of deaths during the preceding four months and the following four months. It is not possible to say whether an individual death was included in the aggregate figure and, hence, to identify hypothermia or other causes of "excess mortality" deaths.

  Excess Winter Mortality in Scotland: 2002-03

  

 Scotland
 2,510


 (a) by Health 
  Board Area


 Argyll and Clyde
 270


 Ayrshire and Arran
 170


 Borders
 40


 Dumfries and Galloway
 80


 Fife
 90


 Forth Valley
 120


 Grampian
 280


 Greater Glasgow
 570


 Highland
 70


 Lanarkshire
 250


 Lothian
 360


 Orkney
 10


 Shetland
 -10


 Tayside
 210


 Western Isles
 -10


 (b) by Age Group


 Under 65
 360


 65-74
 300


 75-84
 940


 85+
 920


 (c) by Gender


 Males
 950


 Females
 1,560



  Notes:

  1. A negative figure occurs when the average non-winter deaths exceed the winter deaths.

  2. As this is a crude measure of the increase in mortality associated with winter conditions, the numbers of "excess deaths" have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals therefore differ.

  3. The information for 2002-03 is provisional.

Health

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30891 by Dr Richard Simpson on 20 November 2002, how many deaths recorded within the excess winter mortality figures for each year from 1997-98 to 2001-02 were the result of hypothermia.

Hugh Henry: The "excess winter mortality" figures are calculated by comparing the aggregate number of deaths in the four winter months with those in the previous and following four months. It is not, therefore, possible to say whether an individual death was included in the aggregate figure and, hence, to identify hypothermia or other causes of "excess mortality" deaths.

Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of incidence of haemophilus influenza type b has been in each year since 1992, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The number of cases of invasive haemophilus influenzae type b reported to the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH), by NHS board, since 1992 is set out in the following table.

  

  
 1992
 1993
 1994
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002


 Ayrshire and Arran
 11
 4
 0
 2
 1
 2
 2
 0
 0
 2
 4


 Argyll and Clyde
 5
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 2
 0
 1


 Borders
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Dumfries and Galloway
 3
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 2
 0


 Fife
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1
 4


 Forth Valley
 1
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 2


 Greater Glasgow
 15
 2
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 1
 4
 1


 Grampian
 7
 1
 0
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 0
 8


 Highland
 1
 2
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0
 0
 0
 2
 1


 Lanarkshire
 1
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 1
 1
 0
 1
 2


 Lothian
 15
 2
 2
 0
 0
 1
 0
 0
 0
 1
 5


 Orkney
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Shetland
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Tayside
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 3


 Western Isles
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0
 0


 Scotland
 62
 15
 3
 2
 2
 5
 3
 3
 4
 13
 31

Health

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake has been of haemophilus influenza type b immunisation, including booster doses, in each NHS board area in each year since 1992.

Mrs Margaret Ewing (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are eligible for immunisation against haemophilus influenza type b and what the uptake has been in each year since 1992, broken down by NHS board area.

Malcolm Chisholm: Uptake information is available from 1995 onwards. The percentage uptake of haemophilus influenza type b immunisation in children aged 24 months in each year since 1995, by NHS board, is set out in the following table.

  

 NHS Board
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002


 Argyll and Clyde
 97.9
 97.9
 97.9
 97.0
 97.1
 97.8
 97.7
 97.8


 Ayrshire and Arran
 95.8
 97.0
 97.4
 97.0
 97.5
 97.9
 97.1
 97.2


 Borders
 95.6
 98.1
 98.5
 96.1
 95.8
 97.4
 97.1
 95.5


 Dumfries and Galloway
 96.3
 97.9
 96.1
 94.3
 98.4
 98.9
 98.9
 99.1


 Fife
 98.2
 98.3
 97.8
 97.1
 96.7
 97.3
 97.2
 97.0


 Forth Valley
 96.8
 98.1
 98.6
 97.4
 97.9
 98.0
 98.1
 97.5


 Greater Glasgow
 97.1
 98.0
 98.1
 97.4
 97.6
 96.9
 95.8
 95.5


 Grampian
 96.9
 96.8
 96.8
 95.8
 95.5
 96.4
 96.2
 95.6


 Highland
 93.4
 95.2
 93.6
 95.1
 94.7
 93.2
 94.9
 93.7


 Lanarkshire
 96.4
 97.0
 97.8
 96.9
 97.5
 98.6
 98.6
 98.0


 Lothian
 97.0
 97.4
 98.3
 98.2
 98.1
 98.2
 98.1
 97.7


 Orkney
 98.0
 98.3
 97.5
 95.8
 92.4
 99.0
 93.4
 93.8


 Shetland
 98.7
 97.0
 95.6
 96.9
 96.8
 97.7
 98.2
 95.8


 Tayside
 97.8
 98.0
 98.5
 97.5
 98.1
 98.2
 98.0
 97.3


 Western Isles
 96.7
 98.7
 97.1
 97.9
 92.6
 93.5
 97.6
 95.9


 Scotland
 96.9
 97.5
 97.7
 97.0
 97.2
 97.5
 97.3
 96.8



  The following table sets out details of the number of children, aged 24 months, who were eligible to receive Hib vaccination in each year since 1995:

  

 NHS Board
 1995
 1996
 1997
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002


 Argyll and Clyde
 5,162
 4,812
 4,852
 4,955
 4,958
 4,653
 4,525
 4,404


 Ayrshire and Arran
 4,554
 4,159
 4,057
 4,150
 4,111
 4,094
 3,768
 3,678


 Borders
 1,130
 1,141
 1,146
 1,152
 1,155
 1,081
 1,113
 1,102


 Dumfries and Galloway
 1,751
 1,657
 1,677
 1,697
 1,571
 1,547
 1,442
 1,397


 Fife
 4,200
 3,878
 3,824
 3,875
 3,888
 3,909
 3,721
 3,643


 Forth Valley
 3,358
 3,164
 3,113
 3,180
 3,233
 3,208
 3,030
 3,023


 Grampian
 6,545
 6,600
 6,103
 6,035
 6,096
 5,784
 5,696
 5,462


 Greater Glasgow
 11,276
 10,435
 10,188
 10,268
 10,214
 9,704
 9,428
 9,284


 Highland
 2,534
 2,402
 2,512
 2,308
 2,451
 2,468
 2,235
 2,200


 Lanarkshire
 7,073
 6,706
 6,473
 6,842
 6,842
 6,593
 6,459
 6,331


 Lothian
 9,268
 8,843
 8,615
 8,943
 8,847
 8,611
 8,492
 8,258


 Orkney
 251
 237
 241
 212
 224
 198
 186
 160


 Shetland
 313
 334
 294
 293
 283
 259
 279
 240


 Tayside
 4,625
 4,140
 4,152
 4,309
 4,351
 4,134
 3,992
 3,926


 Western Isles
 276
 310
 307
 286
 258
 307
 245
 244


 Scotland
 62,316
 58,818
 57,554
 58,505
 58,482
 56,550
 54,611
 53,352



  Further information on uptake of all immunisations can be accessed through the ISD web link:

  http:www.isdscotland.org/isd/index2.jsp?p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&pContentID=1&.

  Uptake information relating to the Hib booster campaign, initiated in April 2003. will not be available until March 2004.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age of (a) private and (b) local authority housing stock is in each local authority area.

Ms Margaret Curran: The following tables show Scottish housing stock by sector and year of construction. The data are collected using bands for the year of construction, and the mean age reported is therefore an approximate estimate of the average age. Table 1 shows the Scotland level figures for local authority and private sector stock, while table 2 shows the figures for local authority stock by local authority area. This information is not currently available at local authority level for private sector stock due to the sample size of the 1996 Scottish House Condition Survey. It will be available for the 2001 Scottish House Condition Survey due to be published later this year.

  Table 1: Estimated Age of Housing Stock (Scotland)

  

  
 Stock by Date 
  of Construction (%)
 Estimated Mean 
  Age (Years)


 Pre-1919
 1919-44
 1945-64
 1965-82
 Post-1982


 All local authority stock1
 3
 23
 37
 34
 4
 47


 All private stock2
 30
 13
 19
 24
 14
 54


 Owner occupied
 27
 14
 20
 25
 15
 52


 Private rented
 59
 10
 12
 12
 8
 69



  Sources:

  1. Scottish Executive Development Department Stock 1 returns for March 2003.

  2. 1996 Scottish House Condition Survey.

  Table 2: Estimated Age of Local Authority Housing Stock in Scotland by Local Authority

  

  
 Estimated Mean 
  Age (Years)


 All local authority stock
 47


 Aberdeen City
 47


 Aberdeenshire
 33


 Angus
 45


 Argyll and Bute
 39


 Clackmannanshire
 47


 Dumfries and Galloway
 45


 Dundee City
 49


 East Ayrshire
 51


 East Dunbartonshire
 51


 East Lothian
 52


 East Renfrewshire
 49


 Edinburgh, City of
 47


 Eilean Siar
 38


 Falkirk
 51


 Fife
 48


 Glasgow City
 49


 Highland
 44


 Inverclyde
 46


 Midlothian
 46


 Moray
 40


 North Ayrshire
 48


 North Lanarkshire
 49


 Orkney
 34


 Perth and Kinross
 46


 Renfrewshire
 49


 Scottish Borders, The
 47


 Shetland
 36


 South Ayrshire
 48


 South Lanarkshire
 47


 Stirling
 53


 West Dunbartonshire
 47


 West Lothian
 49



  Source: Scottish Executive Development Department Stock 1 returns for March 2003.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure that people are not priced out of their local housing markets due to increasing house prices.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is committed to delivering good quality, sustainable and affordable housing for all. The mechanisms for doing this are principally through the provision of social rented housing but also through low-cost home ownership options. Development funding of £262 million is being made available this year, and 18,000 new and improved affordable homes will be provided in the three years to 2006. Local authorities’ local housing strategies, required in terms of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, will play a major role in ensuring that the distribution of development funding takes account of local circumstances.

  The Scottish Executive and its agencies are also working with local authorities and other bodies to deal with other issues, such as availability of land and infrastructure, to ensure that affordable housing is provided where it is most needed.

Housing

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assistance has been, or will be, made available to local authorities towards the costs of conducting housing needs assessments.

Ms Margaret Curran: Local authorities are expected to a carry out assessments of housing need in the process of preparing their local housing strategies (LHS). Over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04, we made £4.5 million available to local authorities for the preparation of their LHS.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects to save by the withdrawal of grants under section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her reply is as follows:

  The withdrawal of section 54 Tax Relief Grant to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) will not be fully effective until 2006, when a replacement mechanism based on viability testing of RSLs will be introduced at that time. The savings from section 54 withdrawal are projected to be £3 million in a full year, subject to any offsetting costs arising from the new viability mechanism. Any savings following withdrawal will be recycled back into the Communities Scotland Development Programme.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial impact will be on housing associations of the withdrawal of grants under section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her reply is as follows:

  The financial impact on housing associations will depend on their individual circumstances. However, we expect that the majority of housing associations will be able to absorb the removal of the section 54 Tax Relief Grant from within their current and future reserves. Where that is not the case, we are working with the sector to identify measures to ensure that no housing association experiences viability problems as a result of withdrawal of the grant.

Inter-Governmental Links

Mr Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2070 by Mr Andy Kerr on 5 September 2003, what benefits can be achieved from closer co-operation, short of membership of the council, between it and the Nordic Council of Ministers.

Mr Andy Kerr: Benefits of co-operation are expected to include exchanges of best practice, sharing of information and research findings, exchanges of officials and reciprocal attendance and participation at conferences and seminars. There may also be cases where it is appropriate to work jointly on specific projects. Any future collaboration between the Scottish Executive and the Nordic Council of Ministers will complement existing co-operation in the framework of the Nordic Scottish Action Plan, the Scottish/Finnish Health Agreement and the North Atlantic Conference.

Legal Aid

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the legal aid budget will be increased in each of the next three years, expressed also as a percentage.

Cathy Jamieson: The current provision for legal aid, as published in The Scottish Executive: Draft Budget 2004-05 , is £146.86 million in 2003-04, £147.86 million in 2004-05 and £151.21 million in 2005-06. This equates to an increase of £8.86 million (6.4%) in 2003-04, £1 million (0.7%) in 2004-05, and £3.35 million (2.3%) in 2005-06.

  The Legal Aid Fund is demand-led, and Scottish ministers will provide the necessary funding to meet the cost of all legally aided cases.

NHS Staff

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff have contracted hepatitis C (a) during the course of their work and (b) in total in each year for which figures are available, broken down by staff group.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health (SCIEH) carries out national surveillance of health care workers who have been occupationally exposed to blood-borne viruses. Statistics have been collected since 1997 and during that time no known cases of health care workers contacting hepatitis C during the course of their work have been recorded. The SCIEH are also satisfied that no known cases of health care workers contracting hepatitis C during the course of their work have occurred since 1989, when the virus became known.

Nursing

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to ensure that places on nursing diploma programmes match demand, as referred to in table 2.5 of the report by the Royal College of Nursing More Nurses, working differently: A review of the UK nursing labour market in 2002 .

Malcolm Chisholm: Pre-registration nursing diploma education is provided by seven higher education institutions (HEIs) in Scotland, under contract with the Scottish Executive Health Department. An annual student nurse intake planning exercise, based on the future workforce requirements of NHSScotland, influences the number of students that the Scottish Executive Health Department funds through these contracts.

  Competition for student places remains buoyant but, as with any higher education course, not all applicants meet the necessary requirements. The nature of nursing means that applicants must be assessed on the basis of their health and fitness in addition to academic requirements. Selecting the right students is one way of addressing attrition from these courses. HEIs have overall responsibility for the selection process.

  In 2003-04 the student intake will increase by an additional 525 students, through traditional and other routes, in accordance with the student nurse intake planning recommendations.

Piers and Harbours

Mr Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to combat accelerated low water corrosion affecting harbours and piers.

Nicol Stephen: It is for harbour authorities to monitor their own structures and consider what action they require to take to ensure that required facilities remain usable. Piers and Harbours Grants are available for the development of piers and harbours that support lifeline ferry services in the Highlands and Islands and it would be open to relevant harbour authorities to apply for grants to tackle problems caused by accelerated low-water corrosion. Similar grants are available to fisheries harbours for a range of emergency purposes.

Prison Service

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to make representations to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that the recommendations contained in the reports by HM Inspectorate of Prisons and HM Inspectorate of Education are implemented, as referred to in the resolution of the Parliament on 11 September 2003.

Ms Margaret Curran: Discussions have taken place since 11 September with the Home Office.

Prison Service

David McLetchie (Edinburgh Pentlands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 239 prisoners recalled from licence in 2002, as referred to in Prison Statistics Scotland 2002 , were recalled for committing a crime and what the categories of those crimes were.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is not collected centrally.

Renewable Energy

Mr Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-901 by Lewis Macdonald on 23 July 2003, what discussions it is having with the Ministry of Defence on individual wind farm projects.

Lewis Macdonald: Our discussions with the Ministry of Defence concentrate on the wider issues relating to renewable energy development and its interests in safeguarding, particularly in relation to low flying and radar.

  As for individual projects, it is for the developer to resolve, where possible, these matters with the Ministry of Defence. Our role, therefore, is to facilitate discussion and to seek clarification of the issues so that discussions between the developer and the Ministry of Defence can be useful.

Roads

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether provision for construction of the M74 is included in its budget for motorways and trunk roads for the next three years and over how many years the total expenditure on construction of the M74 will be spread.

Nicol Stephen: I can confirm that the budget for motorways and trunk roads makes provision for preparatory work on the M74 in 2003-04 and 2004-05. Budget provision for construction begins in 2005-06. Using conventional procurement procedures, the expenditure on construction of the M74 will be spread over four years, 2005-06 to 2008-09.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether sufficient funding is given to Stirling Council to maintain the road infrastructure in its area.

Nicol Stephen: Funding for local roads and bridges forms part of the general Local Government Finance settlement. As part of this, Stirling Council will receive above inflation increases in revenue support of 9.1% this year, and of 5.5% and 4.0% over the next two years. It is entirely a matter for the council to decide its own spending priorities.

Roads

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve safety measures on the A84 and A85 between Stirling and Tyndrum.

Nicol Stephen: The following works on the A84 have been completed this financial year:

  

 Route
 Location
 Measures


 A84
 Callander
 Street lighting


 A84
 Lochearnhead
 Village gateway signing


 A84
 Kilmahog
 Village gateway signing and road markings



  In addition, the following works on the A84 are programmed for completion this financial year:

  

 Route
 Location
 Measures


 A84
 Drumvadich
 Road markings "SLOW" and "Centre ladder" 
  if sufficient width is available


 A84
 Thornhill
 Upgrade signing and lining at junction


 A84
 North of Doune and Meldrum
 Upgrade signing and lining at junctions


 A84
 Ardchullarie More
 Improved signing, road markings and high friction road 
  surfacing


 A84
 West of Callander
 Village gateway signing

Single European Currency

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake an assessment of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's five economic tests regarding the impact that UK membership of the euro would have on the Scottish economy.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact UK entry to the euro would have on the competitive position of Scotland's financial services industry.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what impact UK entry to the euro would have on the levels of growth, employment and investment in Scotland.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, available an assessment of the impact of UK membership of the euro on the housing market in Scotland.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, available an assessment of whether there is sufficient flexibility within the Scottish economy to deal with issues arising from any asymmetric economic shocks resulting from UK membership of the euro.

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, an assessment of the likely impact of UK membership of the euro on foreign investment into Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: No, the Executive does not intend to undertake such an assessment.

Speed Limits

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposed expenditure on 20 mph zones around schools will allow every primary school to secure a 20 mph limit and, if not, what additional expenditure would be required to achieve this objective.

Nicol Stephen: On 26 September, the Scottish Executive announced details of additional funding for local authorities to spend on 20 mph schemes around schools and related safety projects. Provision across Scotland of up to £5 million will be available in 2003-04 and provision up to £11 million will be available in each of 2004-05 and 2005-06. It will be for each local authority to determine its priorities for action, having regard to its knowledge of local needs and circumstances. This includes decisions on 20 mph limits around individual schools.

  We will consider the need for further funding in due course.

Teachers

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current timetable is for the second stage of the review of initial teacher education.

Peter Peacock: I announced the remit and membership of the review group on Monday 22 September. I expect the group to report by the end of March 2004.

Young Offenders

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in meeting its target to reduce persistent young offending by 10% by 2006.

Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29728 on 7 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Holyrood Project

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Presiding Officer when Arup Security Consulting Group was awarded the contract for security blast provision at the new Parliament building.

Mr George Reid: Arup was appointed as structural engineers for the new Parliament building on 7 July 1998 as part of the EMBT/RMJM led design team. Provision of security blast advice was instructed as an additional service in May 1999.

Holyrood Project

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether any company other than Arup Security Consulting Group has been involved in contracts for security blast provision at the new Parliament building.

Mr George Reid: No other company has provided security advice to the design team.

Holyrood Project

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Presiding Officer whether any of the companies providing security blast provision at the new Parliament building were changed after 11 September 2001.

Mr George Reid: Arup continued to provide security advice to the design team after 11 September 2001.